A BUDGET PARADISE CALLED MENJANGAN

After traveling to mountains for quite a few times, I have been missing the calm ocean breeze and white sands on the beach. With this feeling, I didn't put any high expectations on Menjangan because I will take whatever beach I could get. However, Menjangan gave me more than what I asked for.

Belah tengah, don't care.

8 hours on the road in a tight car was quite bad. It was 12 PM when we started hitting the road from Surabaya, off to the edge of Java to visit Menjangan. I've had a list of a few bad road trip situations and this one just came in the list. However, I can guarantee that the pain was worth it.

After a quick stretch and a change of clothes, my friends and I were ready to take the boat to Menjangan. The sun was up high and our spirit was restored after a quick breakfast. Moreover, we were so excited upon hearing the waves crashing against each other. I guess that's how magical the nature is. It has the power to take away any load or stress on your shoulder for a while.

Ready for the ocean.

The ocean awaits.

This Instagrammable toilet wall.

Sailing through the sea.

It wasn't long until we hit the ocean and caught in amazement of the natural environment all around us. There was nothing but hills and water on our left and right. The sky was blue and the water calmly reflected the sun up above us. As the journey goes, one by one, we started sitting on the edges of the boat, trying to be as close as possible to the water. It was probably an excitement that we couldn't bear after seeing such vast ocean waiting for us to dip in.

So we dipped.

And we gave food to the fishes...

That only lasted for a while. The fishes were hungry.

Thank God these sharks weren't hungry.

Swimming with the sharks were definitely the highlight of my trip to Menjangan. Located very close to our departing location, a shark breeding spot gave us access to swim with the sharks. Of course it wasn't my first time, but seeing these creatures again up close was truly a captivating moment. One by one we dipped in to experience swimming with the sharks so we can boast about it to our friends back in Jakarta.

The shark breeding location.

That's me posing for an instagram photo.

They were small, but they still gave me a small fright.

Two black tipped sharks that I saw.

It was an exhilarating experience. But other than dipping into the ocean, I had so much fun exploring the islands! Menjangan has quite a few beaches to explore with different uniqueness and spots to visit. If you're visiting on the weekdays, be prepared to enjoy these beaches for yourself!

A dock that could only be accessed for those who wants to pray in the temple behind the Ganesha statue.

Heading out from Menjangan Island to explore some more snorkling spots.

The beautiful sky above Menjangan.

The whole trip to Menjangan took around 8 hours. That's including lunch, play and nap time. Day one of my trip to Banyuwangi finished earlier and we snoozed like there was no tomorrow. Of course the excitement carried on to the next days where we explored Baluran and Kawah Ijen, but that's for another blog post! As of now, visit Lintang Indonesia for more destinations to visit in the upcoming long weekend next month! You wouldn't want to miss it!